How to Grow Bombay Blue
iNaturalist
Bombay Blue
Ipomoea indica
vineBombay Blue is a vigorous tropical climbing vine prized for its stunning deep blue to purple flowers that bloom prolifically throughout the growing season. This tender perennial produces heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, making it excellent for trellises, arbors, and garden structures.
When should you plant Bombay Blue in your zone?
Get a personalized planting timeline — when to start seeds, transplant, and harvest — based on your USDA zone and local frost dates. Free to start.
Example Bombay Blue timeline · Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b)
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Plant Bombay Blue
Around Apr 17Near Pittsburgh's average last spring frost.
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Tend & protect
Late spring–summerWatering, feeding, and pest-watch reminders.
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Harvest Bombay Blue
Around Jun 16≈ 60 days after planting
Sample dates for Pittsburgh, PA. Sign up to get exact Bombay Blue dates for your own zip code.
Growing Conditions
Soil
Growing Zones
Find your zone →Thrives in zones 9b-12; grown as an annual in cooler zones or brought indoors during winter
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Seedling
2-3 weeksSmall plants with developing true leaves and tender growth; fragile and requiring protection
Keep soil evenly moist, provide bright indirect light, maintain warm temperatures (70-75°F), avoid overwatering to prevent damping off
Vegetative Growth
4-6 weeksPlant produces vigorous vine growth with increasingly larger heart-shaped leaves and establishing root system
Provide sturdy support structure, pinch back growing tips to encourage branching, fertilize every 2 weeks with balanced fertilizer, water regularly, prune to desired shape
Budding
2-3 weeksFlower buds begin forming at leaf axils; vine reaches mature size and density
Continue supporting vine growth, switch to lower-nitrogen fertilizer to promote flowering, maintain consistent watering, ensure 6+ hours of direct sun daily
Flowering
8-12 weeks or longer until frostAbundant deep blue to purple funnel-shaped flowers open, often with lighter throat; blooms last one day but continuously produced
Maintain consistent moisture, avoid excess nitrogen which promotes leaves over flowers, deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms, watch for spider mites in dry conditions
Seed Development & Dormancy
Variable; dormancy lasts 3-4 months in winterAfter flowering, round seed pods develop; growth slows in fall and winter; deciduous in cooler zones
Allow some flowers to set seed if desired, reduce watering and fertilization, bring potted plants indoors in zones below 9b before first frost, prune dead growth in spring
Companion Planting
Plan your garden →Plant with:
Avoid planting near:
Common Pests
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Spray with strong water stream, apply neem oil or insecticidal soap, increase humidity, ensure good air circulation
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Use yellow sticky traps, spray with insecticidal soap, apply neem oil, remove heavily infested leaves
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Prune affected branches, hand-remove with soft brush and horticultural oil, apply neem oil spray
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Hand-pick in early morning, use beetle traps away from plant, apply neem oil, encourage natural predators
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Spray with strong water, apply insecticidal soap or neem oil, introduce ladybugs, use reflective mulch
Uses
Tropical Garden Focal Point
OrnamentalThe stunning deep blue flowers create a dramatic focal point in tropical and subtropical gardens, ideal for covering arbors, pergolas, trellises, and fences with vibrant color throughout the warm season. [source]
Pollinator Attraction
WildlifeThe abundant funnel-shaped flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators, making it an excellent choice for wildlife gardens and pollinator corridors. [source]
Container & Patio Growing
HouseholdIn cooler zones, Bombay Blue thrives in large containers on patios and can be moved indoors during winter, providing tropical ambiance to deck and patio spaces. [source]
Seasonal Floral Arrangements
CraftFresh flowers can be cut for short-lived but striking floral arrangements, adding exotic tropical color to indoor displays. [source]
Harvest Tips
Bombay Blue is not grown for harvest but for ornamental flowering. Deadhead spent flowers regularly to promote continuous blooming. Collect seed pods in fall if you wish to save seeds for next season; allow pods to dry on plant before collecting. Cut back vines in late winter before new growth begins.
Fun Facts
- 🌱 Each Bombay Blue flower only lasts about one day, but the plant produces hundreds of blooms in succession, creating a continuous display from summer through frost
- 🌱 Bombay Blue is also called Blue Daze or Tropical Morning Glory, though it's technically in the Ipomoea genus (morning glories) and produces flowers that open in morning and close by afternoon
- 🌱 The vine can grow 8-15 feet in a single season in warm climates, making it one of the fastest-growing ornamental vines for quick garden coverage
Gardening Terms
New to gardening? Learn about terms used in this guide:
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